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Do your 100% Cotton Sheets Cause You To Sweat?

peabody1
10 years ago

We bought some 100% Egyptian Cotton Sheets. Since then we both wake up damp at night from sweating. DH had to put a towel down on the bed to sleep on. We are trying to determine if anyone else has had this problem. I never sweat and use a blanket year round, but since putting these sheets on the bed. It did get hotter outside during this time, but we have central air. And we do not sweat when we are up. Just wondered if anyone experience this?

Comments (19)

  • emma
    10 years ago

    No they don't. I used the cheapest packaged sheets (sets) that Walmart sells and have been very happy with them. I liked the stiff, slick feel of them when new. Now one set is very old and it very soft and I like that also. I can't see spending a great deal of money on sheets. I had rather save the money for something more useful like large screen TV or a new computer, tablet, etc..

  • stir_fryi SE Mich
    10 years ago

    Buying sheets confuses me. They say don't buy 100% cotton because they wrinkle bad.

    Polyblend and microfiber are supposed to be to hot.

    I too, just bought some super cheap ones at Macys. I don't mind the fabric but I wish they were tighter -- I have to readjust them every morning.

  • emma
    10 years ago

    I have never experienced the wrinkles and have always used 100% cotton. They can even set in the dryer for hours and the are fine. Mine wrinkle a little when I sleep, but any will do that because sheets don't fit mattresses like they used to. To many different size mattresses and sheets.

  • angiepangie
    10 years ago

    Higher thread count sheets sometimes do not breath. Cotton and polyester blends make me sweat as does cotton microfiber. The walmart 140 threadcount sheets are a little rough, but very open weave. I have some swish cotton sheets made with supima cotton. I got them for $2 at the charity shop. they are so thick we use them for blankets in the summer when a sheet is too hot. Perhaps you need to just sleep in the sheet?

  • Tmnca
    10 years ago

    If the threadcount is high the weave is dense, they will be hotter.

    Also they may use "sizing" on the sheets to prevent wrinkles which is often a synthetic coating, they used to use starch. Washing several times in hot water might help remove the sizing.

  • angiepangie
    10 years ago

    if they are coming out of the wash stiff or with set in wrinkles, I would look into sizing. Sometimes this is really hard to get out, but once it IS out, the sheets will become very soft. It just takes some time to get the industrial strength chemicals out.

  • eteinne
    10 years ago

    I thought I would chime in here. I have 17 sets of cotton sheets. They don't make U sweat, but they don't evaporate the perspiration, as the cotton/poly blend. If U have ever used cotton, flour sack dish towels, U will know what I am talking about. They R thin and take hours 2 dry. The cotton/poly, terry cloth dish towels R dry in no time, just hanging in the kitchen.

    My thread counts range from 350 2 1,200. They are always wet in the AM. I don't make the bed but leave it open and turn on the electric mattress pad on when I leave in the morning. I make the bed when I come home and change the sheets every other day. I also iron them at the foot of the at the foot of the bed so I have no fold marks. I have OCD so there are a few things which really bother me.

    I have both, Supima and Egyptian Cotton. Supima is a lighter sheet and Egyptian, heavier and a tighter weave. The only Egyptian Cotton that I hated and were hot and heavy, were from Cotsco. I washed them 1 at at time with 3 pillow cases per load. Each load took over an hour and a half to dry 1 sheet and 3 pillow cases. I never used them and just gave them away. Like I said, Cotton takes a long time to dry.

    Back in the day, in the 50's and 60's, there were only 2 cotton options. Muslin and Percale. Muslin was a coarser fiber and Percale was a finer thread. The difference was, U hung your laundry out in the summer. The weight of the wet fabric and the wind pulled the wrinkles out of the sheets. My mom ironed in the winter when she had to use the dryer.

    Someone mentioned her bottom sheet not fitting where she had to pull the bed apart and remake it. There is a gadget I have used 4 years and I buy it from Home Trends I used to get their paper catalog, but U can order them online. I don't remember what they are called but it's a elastic band and has these fasteners which hold the sheets in place in all 4 corners of the bed. I will describe this as best I can. This is an elastic band and the fasteners look like those garter belt fasteners back when women wore stockings before pantyhose. It's a rubber nub with a metal slide fastener which slide over it and secures the corner of the sheet. They work great if U have a standard mattress and have 2 buy sheets 4 a 16, 18, or 22 inch mattress. It will keep them tight and U can bounce a quarter of the bottom sheet. I cant remember if they R sold in a 2 pac or a 4 pac. U will need 4 for all 4 corners. I hope some of this helps.

  • ernie85017, zn 9, phx
    10 years ago

    Those are called sheet garters!
    I can't tolerate sateen sheets. Too hot. Too noisy! You wouldn't think 100% cotton would be that way, but it is. Too bad Sateen is almost all you can find these days.

    I took the plunge and found oxford cloth sheets finally at LL Bean. I got them on sale on a special, something like 40% off. I watched the ads and the site and made 2 separate orders. Free shipping.

    Yes they wrinkle, but I love them. The bottom sheets are deep and stay put. The fabric is substantial and I expect them to last a good long time. Reviews of some oxford cloth sheets called them scratchy, but I don't know what they find scratchy.

    DO NOT buy French Laundry oxford cloth sheets. Bad, bad. Overstock won't give you a refund if you have washed them. I washed them and put them on the bed only to learn that the bottom sheet was too small.

    I don't think I will be buying from Overstock any more.

  • llaatt22
    10 years ago

    A sudden onset of night sweats can also be caused by several serious diseases.
    But in ordinary discomfort, as I eventually learned from my in the not too recent past hospital stay sessions, there is something else going on. Profuse night sweats can be ineffectual for some people. What eventually worked for me was no top cover at all and three interleaved cotton hospital gowns worn at the same time which instantly soaked up prespiration and kept me dry and very comfortably warm which sounds strange but works.

    This post was edited by laat2 on Fri, Jul 19, 13 at 11:57

  • angiepangie
    10 years ago

    I have off and on night sweats (pre menopause) as well as very hot summer nights. We found it too hot to even sleep with our light quilt. I bought some very nice well worn and well washed (years of washing) sheets at the charity shop made from Pima cotton and they are the best sheets I have ever had. Topped this with a cheap cotton blanket from Walmart and we are cool at night, but we have the weight and comfort of something on top of us. The cotton blanket, the cheapy, from WM, is loosely weaved and breathes well. HTH.

    ( We have bought some very expensive, high thread count damask strip cotton sheets before- and it took years of washing to make them soft. Initially they just came out wrinkled and stiff, time after time. It literally took forever to feel soft. Any one else have that issue? )

  • peabody1
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well, our expensive Egyptian cotton sateen weave 450TC are still hot. Maybe a lot more washing will work. We put our percale sheets back on and they are fine. It must be the thread count or the weave.

  • divamom123
    10 years ago

    I realize that there is a strictly cotton sheet population out there, but you may want to consider PeachSkinSheets because they WILL keep you cool and dry! Technology changes things, and I really think that now there are more options to traditional cotton for keeping you comfortable. Remember when we thought flip cell phones were the best of the best? I am menopausal and literally had to sleep on layers of beach towels before trying these. The are described as a high performance athletic type fabric, similar to workout clothes so they wick away moisture but they are extremely soft as well as not slippery. Definitely not your "old" microfiber that has a reputation for being hot....they are what the industry calls a re-engineered "Breathable Microfiber" designed to keep you comfortable all night. They also don't wrinkle or pill which is awesome but let's face it...the main issue for us women who sleep hot is staying cool. All of that being said, my mom would NEVER switch from 100% cotton sheets, even if her bed looks like someone balled up her sheets and then made the bed (all of those wrinkles!), but I'm not telling her that to her face, She's a sweetheart and I can't change her mind at her age, bless her heart. As far as she's concerned, flip phones are mind blowing. :-) :-) P.S. They had this picture below on their website...it's great! I think I am going to have one made for real and placed above my bedroom door LOL

    Here is a link that might be useful: PeachSkinSheets

  • grainlady_ks
    10 years ago

    Something else to consider other than just the sheets are the different types of mattresses and mattress pads you cover your mattress with, as well as the weave and fiber content of any blankets you top your sheets with. They have as great a cause and effect on sleeping comfort as do the sheets.

    We have a memory foam mattress and it holds your body heat really well, which is nice in the winter along with flannel sheets (we don't heat our bedroom) but that warming has the opposite effect in the summer.

    In the spring we add a mattress pad and sheets from coolingmattress.com and the wicking technology helps keep you cool. When you sweat (and the average person loses about 10% of their water in the form of sweat while sleeping - and people who sweat profusely, even more), the material in the sheets wick the moisture which will make you feel cooler. We use a comforter from the same company in the fall/winter because it helps regulate the temperature - you get neither too cold nor too warm. We like it a lot more than the down-filled comforter we used before getting the comforter from this company.

    A bit extreme, but we also have "Summer Survival Mats" we can use. They are gel-filled mats that act as a buffer between your body and the mattress to absorb your body heat. Great for that time of the year before you turn the air conditioner on, for camping, or a way to cool down fast without air conditioning. You can watch a video about these mats at cooldownfast.com, along with more information about how they work.

    -Grainlady

  • caroline94535
    10 years ago

    I found this thread very useful. I have three sets of older, 10+ years, woven 100% cotton sheets. I keep looking for suitable replacements but these should last a while longer. I rotate them seasonally with the three sets of 100% cotton flannel sheets I use in the winter. Each type gets used about six months of the year.

    OT- I love my now 8-year-old flip phone! I refuse to get another one until this one has died of old age! I'm not tied to technology and refuse to be on 24/7 phone standby. I do carry it in my purse, especially during the ND winters. Everyone knows to leave a voice mail since I won't answer any phone if I'm driving, shopping, eating, visiting, watching a program, gardening, etc.

    DH has gone through four phones in the same amount of time.

  • alex9179
    10 years ago

    A wool mattress pad made a HUGE difference for us. I'm always hot and was perspire during the winter while DH is always cold and wears sweats to bed :)

    Keeps us both comfy, wool is a miracle! I was really doubtful, but desperate.

    Here is a link, but it's not this fluffy IRL. Think older sheepskin in a coat.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wool mattress pad

  • violetwest
    9 years ago

    My recommendation is: wool fleece mattress pad + 100% linen sheets (stay cooler than cotton) + fan(s) aimed at the face.

  • ryseryse_2004
    9 years ago

    I think that your sheets are NOT 100% cotton. The tag is lying - plain and simple.

    I have never had a sweating problem with cotton whether it be sheets or tee shirts. Cotton breathes - polyester and synthetics do not. Also - many "Egyptian" cotton sheets are not made in Egypt. There are all sorts of ways for manufacturers to cut corners, and they do. (How do you really know the thread count?)

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    Cotton and wool are temperature regulators. You should not be sweating badly under 100% cotton sheets. If you aren't, it's something else causing it.

    Also, 100% sheets that wrinkle badly don't have anything added to them to prevent them from wrinkling. Those that do not wrinkle do. I make sure my cotton sheets wrinkle because I don't want any additives to my sheets and pillow cases . Hanging them on lines to dry helps immensely in cutting down on the wrinkling.